Mail-bag fastener



J. MOORE. MAILl BAG JEASTENER.

(No Model.)

No. 291,384. f Patent-ed Jan. l, 1884.

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p f UNITED STATES- Pn'rnivr Genion.

JACOB MOORE, On ALBANY, New YORK. y i c f MAIL-BAG FASTENER.

sPBorBfrcA'rIoN forming `part of Letters Patent No. 291,584, dated January 1,1884. l `Application filed December 18, 1882. (No model.) l I To all `whom, t may concern: `Be it known that I, JACOB Moons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastenings forMail-Bags, of which the following is a full and clear description thereof, 4reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart `of the `salme. y 1

,My invention relates to a flexible metallic .linked `bar-fastening for mail-bags, in which a series of bar-links, each held in bearings made with attaching-plates, are connected in a ilexible manner, and adapted to be rotated so as to throw a section of the same into `engage- ;mcnt with catches secured toa flap, orrclease from the same.

fasten ing, which by a single movement will be Vadapted to engage with several catch es set at intervals .apart at the mouth of the bag, whereby the mouth of the bagwill readily be securely closed, lor be opened by a single re- Lhereinafter described.

l-attain my object by means of the mechan` `in which- Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken at line No. .1 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional `View taken at line No. 2 in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken at line No.3 in Fig.- 2, at the universal-joint coupling. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a modified form of j oint-con nection; and Fig. 7 isa cross sectional View of the same, taken at line N o. 4 iii Fig. (i.

fllhe saine letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, A represents the mail-bag, made of leather or fabric. a is the front side portion of the mouth ofthe bag. b is the rear side portion of the same, and c is the closing a gecured by rivets to flap a is a series of plates, c c. as shown by full lines in Figs. 3 and 4 andlindicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2,

. l, c y

`and 4.

Aversed movement by means of` the `devices Figure l represents a side view ofthe mouth endof the bag embodying my invention. Fig. 1 2 is a plan `view of my improved device in` `locking position, and with partszshown in sece, 35 tional view.

which plates are preferably set at aboutone'- quarter of one inch apart. Firmly secured to each of said plates c is a 55 duplex catch, C, which catch passes through flapc and projects inward toward the sides b and a of the mouth of the bag, as show-n Ain Figs. 3 and 4. `The said catch ismadewith two holcling-lips, e and f, the formernwitha concave form of lip, having its curvatureof catching-surface made to conform with that of; the locking piece or eccentric, hereinafter de; scribed, and the latter with an angular4 lipat the rneck of the catch, as shown in Figs; 3'

Firmly secured to the upper end `of sided ofthe bag `is a series of plates, g, correspondring in number with plates c.

Made at the middle of the length .of

.said plate g are apertures lil, of `a size :corresponding with the size of duplex catches C, so that the latter will readily pass throughthe former. 4 Mounted onplates g are locking-bars D which bars are held in position by meansof rib-bearingsi t, cast solid with plates g andthe staplebearing i, as shown inFigs.,2, 3, ande. The said loclringbars are each made witha cylindrical form of body, so as to be adapted -to be freely turned in its bearings, `at the will of the operator. Made in Vsaid locking-:barat i its middle of length, and at a place opposite to opening h in plate g, is a reduced portion, D', arranged relatively eccentric to the axisiof said locking-bar, as shown in Figs. 2,3, and a, so that when said bar is turned the said-ec- `centric portion will be made to change positions, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4I The staple bearings z" c" have their ends made with sufficient length to pass through `plate g and leather a, and receive awasher or burr, andbe` riveted so that said plate g will be secured to the portion a of the bag, shoulders being `provided at the foot of each leg of the staple-bear-- ing for bearingon plate g, asshown. The lock-` ing-bars D are arranged in a line, each across its plate g, with its axial line coinciding with those of the others, and are each connected with its neighboring locking-bar by means of roo a universal-joint connection made with any known forn'nwhich will produce between said i bars a flexible connection, E, and at the same time cause the whole number of said bars to be simultaneously turned in their bearings when l one of them is moved around in its bearings.

In Figs. 2 and 5 one form of such universaljoint connection or iieXible coupling is shown,

bar to impart a rotary movement to the others when it is turned in its bearings.

Made withthe middle oneot'the series of locking-bars D. preferably, is a hasp, F, having its ends connected with bar D, and suiiiciently spread so as to slightly touch the inner edges of Staplebearings t', as shown in Fig. 2, when said. bar will be held from shifting endwise in its bearings, while at the same time the said hasp operates as a means by which the series -ot' locking-bars will be turned inthe bearings in either direction.

. Secured to the middle plate, g, is staple k, over which hasp F closes when the bars D D are turned to a locking position. rIhe staple lo projects outward to a distance sufficient to receive the bow of a padlock for securing the haspidown in place and holding the lockingbars in locking positions and from being turned Lopen.

" Vhen it is desired to close the bag and securely lock its sides of mouth together, the

operator, after turning hasp F from position v .shown by full lines to that shown by dotted 4o lines in Fig. 3, causes the several duplex catches C made with iiap c to enter into apertures h, 'when the hasp F will be turned from position shown by dotted lines to that of full lines in Fig. 3. By this movement the several locking-bars D will be simultaneously turned in `their respective bearings, and the eccentrics D will be thrown into engagement with the curved lips @of catch C, and the angular catch- ,ing-lip f will be forced into engagement with by a single movementthe operator will lock the two sides ofthe mouth of the bag together, and by a reverse movement unlock the same, and that when locked together the two sides will be held together at several polnts in their extension of width.

This fastening is so flexible that the conjoined sides of the mouth will be adapted to be readily bent in either direction, each of the locking-bars of the series outward past the middle one being adapted to slide in its bearings, so as to allow a bending of the sides as condition of situation of the bag may require.`

It will also be observed that the sides of the mouth of the bag is so closely locked against each other at points at short intervals apart that it is impossible for a hand or aninstrufor access to the interior.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Let-ters Patent, 1s-

l. In a bag-fastener, thelocking-barD, provided with eccentric holding-pieceDQheld in bearings secured to one side ofthe mouth of the' cured to one side of a bag for engagement with coacting catches attached to a closing-flap', of V;

hasp F, attached to or made with one of said locking-bars, and staples 7c, adapted to receive the bow. of a padlock, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth. v

3. In a mail-bag fastener, the combination, with plate g, having aperture h, and lockingbar D', provided wit-h eccentric piece D, and rotated in bearings, of duplex catch C, provided with holding-lips c and f, for operation substantially as set forth.

JACOB MOORE.

Vitnesses:

CALvIN S11-Annan, JAMES K. Si-Lirrncii. 

